Mercedes-Benz of Walnut Creek

On February 8, 2013, Mercedes-Benz of Walnut Creek experienced a physical forcible break-in that led to a data breach, as reported by the California Office of the Attorney General on February 25, 2013. The incident resulted in the potential exposure of sensitive customer information, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and credit details. While the exact number of affected individuals remains undisclosed, the breach posed a significant risk of identity theft, financial fraud, and reputational harm due to the nature of the compromised data. The attack did not involve ransomware or digital intrusion but was a physical security failure that enabled unauthorized access to confidential records. The exposure of such personally identifiable information (PII) could lead to long-term consequences for affected customers, including fraudulent transactions, credit damage, and loss of trust in the company’s ability to safeguard data.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-38981

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/mercedes-benz-of-walnut-creek

"id": "mer152082025",
"linkid": "mercedes-benz-of-walnut-creek",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "2/2013",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Unknown',
                        'industry': 'Automotive',
                        'location': 'Walnut Creek, California, USA',
                        'name': 'Mercedes-Benz of Walnut Creek',
                        'type': 'Automotive Dealership'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Physical Break-in',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 'Unknown',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['names',
                                                         'addresses',
                                                         'social security '
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)',
                                              'Financial Data']},
 'date_detected': '2013-02-08',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2013-02-25',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach involving Mercedes-Benz of Walnut Creek on February '
                '25, 2013. The breach occurred on February 8, 2013, due to a '
                'forcible break-in, potentially exposing customer personal '
                'information including names, addresses, social security '
                'numbers, and credit information. The number of individuals '
                'affected is unknown.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names',
                                 'addresses',
                                 'social security numbers',
                                 'credit information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (PII exposed)',
            'payment_information_risk': 'High (credit information exposed)'},
 'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Physical Break-in'},
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Physical security failure leading '
                                           'to unauthorized access to customer '
                                           'data.'},
 'references': [{'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'California Office of '
                                                       'the Attorney General'},
 'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes (California Office of the '
                                          'Attorney General)'},
 'title': 'Mercedes-Benz of Walnut Creek Data Breach (2013)',
 'type': 'Data Breach (Physical Intrusion)'}